Sanders Supporters Use Russian Facebook Tactics to Divide Dems

[Milchshake]

Ongoing in: "Burn it Down" and other Bernie Supporter quotes

Interesting report today on how Sanders supporters on Facebook are using mass-posting techniques to drive fairly vicious anti-Warren, -Biden, and -Buttigieg memes, "reminiscent of Russian bots and trolls in 2016."

Sanders supporters have weaponized Facebook to spread angry memes about his Democratic rivals
Users are using mass-posting technologies to flood Facebook with attacks on Elizabeth Warren and others


Matt Walters, an avid Bernie Sanders supporter, inside his home in Almont, Mich. Walters shares memes against Elizabeth Warren to several Facebook groups

A Democrat in Michigan scrolled through a surge of nasty Facebook memes about Sen. Elizabeth Warren last week before fixing on one that captured his growing dislike of the candidate. It depicted her smiling face as a mask. Behind it was Hillary Clinton.

Matt Walters, 64, a retired factory worker and supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), shared the image onward to eight Facebook groups and tens of thousands of potential eyeballs with a few taps on his smartphone — using a popular new mass-posting technique that allows ordinary Americans to operate with rapid-fire speed reminiscent of Russian bots and trolls in 2016.

In that small way, Walters contributed to a massive wave of hostile memes about Sanders’s Democratic rivals that both reflects the rising divisiveness in the party’s nominating contest and, in the view of social media experts, exacerbates it.

In related reporting from the FIE. Foreign influence on the 2020 is intensifying.
Sanders surpasses Trump in positive news coverage from Russia media.
Don't worry, Tulsi is still fan one number!!

[Machismo]

You do realize that it's often the very same people who were doing it for Trump... right?

Just look at all these threads, and all the Trump supporters who claim to be Bernie supporters, just to sling shit at the wall.

[Milchshake]

You do realize that it's often the very same people who were doing it for Trump... right?

Just look at all these threads, and all the Trump supporters who claim to be Bernie supporters, just to sling shit at the wall.

Ya it's total deja-vu from 2016.

Question i forgot pose.

Social Media Platforms were not equipped for this type of manipulation in 2016.
Are they better or worse prepared for this phenomena in 2020?

[Shalcker]

Ya it's total deja-vu from 2016.

Question i forgot pose.

Social Media Platforms were not equipped for this type of manipulation in 2016.
Are they better or worse prepared for this phenomena in 2020?

Prepared against real posters sharing memes about candidates they dislike?

Also, that "easy multi-posting" feature is new - introduced last spring. That is, Facebook is more equipped for this type of manipulation/voter interaction then in 2016.

And "This underscores a new reality: Facebook gives individual users power over public discourse disproportionate to their authority at the ballot box." ...just like traditional media personalities?

"Such outsized influence once required significant resources — money for printed materials, access to a broadcast studio or time to reach people face-to-face. Now all it requires is a smartphone."

...right, of course, it's journalists lamenting getting obsolete.

[JohnBrown1917]

Haha. Man. These theories are just getting delusional

Watch out! The big scary Russia monster is gonna get ya'!

[Machismo]

Ya it's total deja-vu from 2016.

Question i forgot pose.

Social Media Platforms were not equipped for this type of manipulation in 2016.
Are they better or worse prepared for this phenomena in 2020?

I think Social Media is more equipped, but I think the people who were foolish enough to get suckered in by it all are still as gullible as ever.

[JohnBrown1917]

I think Social Media is more equipped, but I think the people who were foolish enough to get suckered in by it all are still as gullible as ever.

People shitposting online is not manipulation.

[Machismo]

People shitposting online is not manipulation.

People pushing lies, falsehoods, and fake news is manipulation. Either they are trying to manipulate others, they are the ones being manipulated, or both.

[Sorshen]

Oh no, the memes! Weapons of mass destruction...

Also, washingtonpost is back to their old shit again.
Remember this?



It's no wonder Hilary rose from her tomb to slam Bernie with a laughable "nobody likes him!" the other day, the whole DNC and their affiliated media empire hate his guts and they'll keep going at it cause he's surging and they're scared.
But yes, Bernie stans post memes, the horror... much like Trumpers in 2016! The implication! It's Bernie that's dividing the the dems, not their shit 2016 tactics...
The democrat nominee debates are sort of a clown show, they'll never allow someone like him to run.

[eschatological]

That picture is from 2016, and you're conflating it to present day.

[Sorshen]

That picture is from 2016, and you're conflating it to present day.

It's exactly what's happening, again. They can't really attack him on ethic or policy in debates so they resort to hit pieces. This whole 'dividing' shit is eye rolling to watch.

[Blur4stuff]

I think a lot of people that aren't dems (either ind or rep) notice the corporate media and establishment democrats attacking Sanders. It's earning him votes he wouldn't get on his own.

Old school dems didn't learn the lesson of 2016 either. They just don't fucking get it.

[Logwyn]

Facebook is for old people. Then need to be doing it on Tik-Tok and Instagram!!!

[ipaq]

OP is the usual Russian operative. Nothing new here.

Ongoing in: "Burn it Down" and other Bernie Supporter quotes

Interesting report today on how Sanders supporters on Facebook are using mass-posting techniques to drive fairly vicious anti-Warren, -Biden, and -Buttigieg memes, "reminiscent of Russian bots and trolls in 2016."

Sanders supporters have weaponized Facebook to spread angry memes about his Democratic rivals
Users are using mass-posting technologies to flood Facebook with attacks on Elizabeth Warren and others


Matt Walters, an avid Bernie Sanders supporter, inside his home in Almont, Mich. Walters shares memes against Elizabeth Warren to several Facebook groups

A Democrat in Michigan scrolled through a surge of nasty Facebook memes about Sen. Elizabeth Warren last week before fixing on one that captured his growing dislike of the candidate. It depicted her smiling face as a mask. Behind it was Hillary Clinton.

Matt Walters, 64, a retired factory worker and supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), shared the image onward to eight Facebook groups and tens of thousands of potential eyeballs with a few taps on his smartphone — using a popular new mass-posting technique that allows ordinary Americans to operate with rapid-fire speed reminiscent of Russian bots and trolls in 2016.

In that small way, Walters contributed to a massive wave of hostile memes about Sanders’s Democratic rivals that both reflects the rising divisiveness in the party’s nominating contest and, in the view of social media experts, exacerbates it.

In related reporting from the FIE. Foreign influence on the 2020 is intensifying.
Sanders surpasses Trump in positive news coverage from Russia media.
Don't worry, Tulsi is still fan one number!!

[Vash The Stampede]

Oh noes the washingtonpost says that Bernie Bros are basically Russians in disguise. The Bernie Bros are speaking in Blyat.

Is anyone here honestly surprised from a mainstream media source talking down on Bernie? Let me know when they say good things about Bernie Sanders, because that would be out of the ordinary.

[announced]

It's pretty funny. Anytime the lamestream shills dislike a candidate they always label the opposition as Russian trolls. They did it to Trump and now they are doing it to the Bernie Bros.

I actually expected this. They'll label everyone opposed to Warren and Biden as Russian trolls trying to influence the election, and then they'll wonder why the lost.
The DNC and corporate media is so out of touch with the voters they are almost on par with the GOP.

[Milchshake]

It's pretty funny. Anytime the lamestream shills dislike a candidate they always label the opposition as Russian trolls. They did it to Trump and now they are doing it to the Bernie Bros.

I actually expected this. They'll label everyone opposed to Warren and Biden as Russian trolls trying to influence the election, and then they'll wonder why the lost.
The DNC and corporate media is so out of touch with the voters they are almost on par with the GOP.

Silly DNC. They won the popular vote 6 of the last 7 elections.

It's like someone has to cheat to beat them....


Oh I see, you're justifying cheating in elections and projecting the fears that your own party is waaay out of touch.

[Blur4stuff]

At this point, arguing about who is doing what on social media is completely pointless. Many, many more groups are in on it this time around. They're all pulling their version of a mind fuck to get a desired outcome.

It's so much more complicated now that you might as well just assume everything is a lie that isn't from a well known source that has a track record of being honest.

Of course, that was one goal of people like Putin and Trump. They want people being distrustful of everything so they can more easily sell their bullshit.

[Kaleredar]

The single most monumentally progressive action America can take is electing someone that isn't Donald Trump in the next election.

Full. Stop.

Whether that's Warren, Bernie, Biden... whoever... is basically wholly immaterial compared to accomplishing that. Anyone truly interested in progress should have that figured out by now.

And if they haven't, they're only in it for the team sports angle. And that's Trump supporter ideology right there.

[callipygoustp]

People shitposting online is not manipulation.

If someone says it online, it must be true!